The Northern York County School Board in Pennsylvania voted down the approval of an "After School Satan Club" for a local elementary school.
The program was initially suggested by a parent at the Northern Elementary School in York, Pennsylvania, according to Fox News. It was rejected by the principal but went up for a probationary vote at the school board, which took place Tuesday.
Hundreds arrived at a meeting to air their views on the introduction of the program at Northern Elementary School, according to WHP which noted that many parents were outraged at the idea.
"There is a lot of evil already in this world, so to allow it to come into our school and our community is not OK." one parent, Laura Vangeli, told the outlet.
"Satan is a liar and Satan will show himself as light when in fact he's not light," Maddie Snelbaker added.
The Satanic Temple, which has been seeking to push into elementary and grade schools in opposition to Christian after-school clubs, describes the "After School Satan Club" as "an after-school program that promotes self-directed education by supporting the intellectual and creative interests of students," according to its website.
Commenting on the vote, Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of the Satanic Temple, told WHP that the school board did not have the authority "to decide which religious organizations they prefer holding after school clubs and which one they don't."
The Satanic Temple opened an "After School Satan Club" at Jane Addams Elementary School in a Moline, Illinois, elementary school, with its first club event having taken place in January, Fox News noted.
According to flyers circulated on social media, the club consists of science projects, puzzles, games, arts and crafts and outdoor nature activities. The club said it will help children learn benevolence and empathy, critical thinking, problem solving, creative expression and personal sovereignty.
Speaking with Fox News, Greaves said he hoped that the Satanic Temple's presence could help people see that "good people can have different perspectives, sometimes on the same mythology, but not mean any harm."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.